NICO IZZI: RAW AND UNCUT
	Author: Brent Stallo	Features | Wednesday, 13 May 2009 12:48

Interview: Wes Williams/Brent Stallo

Transcribed by: Travis Steward

Photography: Brent Stallo

 

Hey, Nico!

What’s up guys?

 

So where are you right now?

I’m at my house in California.

 

You stayed down with Ronnie Tichenor for a while, right?

Yeah, I stayed there for like a week and a half.

 

So take us back to the crash man, what happened!?

Oh bro you don’t even want to know. It was like a nightmare! Your bike hits neutral on the face of a double, I mean come on, get real? Well this is what happened, last lap, last big triple on the track, I pretty much had third wrapped up with Stroupe behind me and I was just kind of cruising along with the finish line literally three turns away. Well, we were hitting that triple in second gear and I came out of that left hander and my bike jumped from second gear to first gear really quick and it stayed in first gear for about ten feet and then it hit neutral just as my front wheel was taking off of the lip.

 

So what goes through your head at that point?

Oh man, well you don’t even know what to think. Obviously you know your going to crash and you’re hoping you don’t blow your femur through your head. I don’t know if I would have made it any further on my feet. I think I would have been ok because I’ve crashed pretty gnarly before. That triple was just oversized. I mean we were seat bouncing it just trying to get over it. The first thought I had was, “Dude, I’m done,” you know what I mean? There’s not much you can do except for try to land on your feet because if you land on your head or back you could die. I just tried to get off the bike clean but I caught my foot on the bar and that’s what kind of put me off balance. I had to kind of push of the bike twice and that’s what had me putting all my weight on that right foot when I landed. I remember being really high in the air then collapsing and I remember my foot hurt, but all I could hear was Stroupe in the air wide open. I didn’t really know where I was on the landing so I ducked down thinking I was going to get hit and after he cleared me I went to run off and when I did I put all of my weight on the shattered heal and it just gave out. I kind of fell and ended up on a tuff block. I knew instantly it was broke, you know? I didn’t know it was this bad though. I felt the blood in the bottom of my boot because the impact was so hard it blew a hole in the bottom of my foot.

 

When you took your boot off did the blood just poor out?

Oh yeah my sock was soaked in blood and they cut my boot off. It was funny because I watched it on TV and when they were hauling me off it didn’t even look like I was hurt. I was taking it really good, I never cried or anything. The only time I really screamed at anyone was in the Asterisk rig when they were going to pull my boot off without cutting it off. I started yelling at them telling them to give me drugs and then Josh Grant walked in and by then I was feeling just fine after the drugs so I was talking it up with him. As they were rolling me out to the ambulance I was giving JG knuckles like “seeya bra”!

 

Did the bone come out of the bottom of your heel?

You could see my bone through the hole, but my bone isn’t what came through the hole. The thing that caused the hole was all the pressure from coming down that hard. Come to find out we went to the doctor and Chisholm and Ferry just kind of cracked theirs and all I remember in the hospital was the doctors saying, “This is ten times worse than Chisholm’s or Ferry’s,” and I’m like “ah, what am I going to do.” I broke it in eight different places. They almost had to fuse something together in my foot. What sucked was after the crash I had to wait two weeks in the hospital before they could do surgery because the swelling was too bad. I was at the hospital that the ambulance took me too and it wasn’t the best hospital. They really didn’t take care of me that well and I was in horrible pain and whatever they did really didn’t help much. After about two days of getting fed up with this hospital my dad and Jackie, my girlfriend, and I just left and hopped in my dad’s truck. I have a messed up crooked foot with a hole in the bottom of it driving fifteen miles to the next hospital, hitting bumps and everything and I was not having a good time. We get to the next hospital and I am in so much pain because the last place wasn’t giving me the right stuff and we had to wait to get into a room, and all this crazy stuff. We finally get up to a room and they hook me up to this IV pump and every time I was in pain I just pressed a button and it took care of it. We were there for about a week and a half and hooked up with Dr. Soleless, he’s the one who did Ferry’s Surgery, and he’s a really cool guy. Got the surgery, stayed at the hospital for four days and then went to Ronnie’s house for a day. I went back got the stitches out and they said I was good to fly home. I got to fly first class and they let me pile up pillows in front of me so I could be comfortable. Bottom line it was hell. Long story short they actually put eight screws, two pins, and one plate in my heal.

 

 

So how long are you going to be out?

Well I can’t ride for probably another good three months, and if I do come back it will be real late in the outdoors. If you look at it contract wise why go risk another injury when you really have nothing to gain.

 

Speaking of contract, yours is up with Suzuki this year, right?

Yeah, I mean I grew up on Suzuki and everything but while the economy is bad I have to go with whoever has the best offer and whoever I feel will be a good team to go with. I’m definitely trying to stay with Suzuki again. I have been on Suzuki’s since I was a kid and I couldn’t imagine going anywhere else.

 

When does that decision get made?

I’m waiting as long as I can because I want to see what Suzuki’s budget is going to be. I mean I have other offers on the table and it’s a good feeling knowing people want you. After what happened and now I’m out for outdoors I think I had a pretty good SX season. I hit the podium five out of eight races and I had two other bad races and to be honest with you, I don’t know if anyone knows, the whole season I rode with injuries but you just try to keep that stuff down. Every single race it was something different and it sucked. All I wanted to do was go to a race healthy and get a good start. I knew if I raced healthy I could win a main event. I believe so much in myself and it was like the one round I really thought I could win, St. Louise, I cased this gnarly dragon back and I thought I broke my hand. It just made me so tough this season it was ridiculous. It goes from so good to so bad so quick. I just want to thank my girlfriend so much, I mean she lived in the hospital with me and stuck by my side. My parents too for sure.

 

Nico- Hey when is that new movie coming out!?

Vurb- Soon my friend soon!

 

Nico- Make sure you get me a copy!

Vurb-You know this!!

 

Are you going to go to Glen Helen?

There’s a dealer signing that I’m going to try to make and if you don’t see me at the track pretty much it’s because I’m in too much pain. Like this is the most painful injury there is. Out of the knee, shoulder, whatever surgery I’ve had this one has taken me the longest and still hurts the most.

 

What do you think about the Lites class this year?

It’s a stacked field but I still think there are only going to be like three or four guys that are still going to be able to win it. Even though there are fourteen that are capable of winning a moto, there are still going to be those few consistent guys. Dungey, for sure, and Stroupe, if he rode smart and stayed consistent he could win a championship. Everyone knows he’s got the speed and he’s always had it. I believe in him a lot. Pourcel has a chance as well because his style is so smooth.

 

 

What about the amateur guys coming in, Anstie and Barcia?

To be honest, I think they’re going to do ok but not as good as they think they’re going to do. I’m thinking 6^th or 7^th, which is good, but I think those guys are a little bit cocky and they might have a little bit of a rude awakening.

 

If you were healthy where do you think you would be?

I mean I’m always consistent. I’m not always the fastest guy, but I’m sure overall standings I would have been top five, maybe top three for sure. I think that throughout the season I would have had some good motos and some bad. After SX I was going in with a lot of confidence.

 

I know we have been bumming, man.

Yeah, man, I mean with all the drugs and stuff they give me I’ve been really depressed and stuff. They give you all this stuff so I try to get off of it because you know your going to get addicted and the next thing I know I’m going through withdrawals. I was taking five perks a day and three at night for like five weeks and a few days ago I decided to stop taking them and the next thing I know I’m throwing up and I have massive headaches, any type of sunlight hurt my eyes and it was just crazy.

 

That’s a bad situation.

Well it sucks because if you keep taking the pills you know it will help you feel better, but in the long run it’s hurting you. It’s just depressing you know? If this was a broken leg or arm your only out for six weeks. You can only take so much of it, you think you’re never going to be able to ride again, you think you’re never going to be able to walk again.

 

Does it cause you to rethink what you're doing for a career?

Obviously if I won the lottery and I didn’t have to race dirtbikes then I wouldn’t just because after this injury it kind of sucks. I’m always going to regroup and come back from it, though. If you want something bad enough you’re going to get it. It’s dangerous and it does make you think a little bit.

 

What have you been doing?

I don’t know what to do, sit around watch movies.

 

Well, have fun sitting around, we’ll be sure to stop by and cheer you up when we fly out next week.

For sure can’t wait to see you guys!

 

Thanks a lot, Nico!

Thank you!